The Featured Unknown Artists of 2007

May 29

The Sara Vandermeulen Interview

Lady_Fortuna

Sara Vandermeulen



The Interview Questions


View Sara's Art Gallery


What is your artistic background - and how did you get involved with digital art?

I've always been drawing, for as long as I can remember.. My father would bring home these huge cardboard's from work that I would use as "drawing paper". I didn't have any brothers or sisters and hated sports, so I used to spend a lot of time drawing and painting. After high school I attended St. Lucas College of Arts & Sciences in Ghent.. I learned about traditional drawing and painting techniques, about graphic design, combining colors and creating effects. I learned to work with programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. However, I learned more about digital imaging after I graduated.. I learned more things by myself or through the internet, doing tutorials.. and by joining deviant Art in 2004.

With all the various terminologies like new media art, electronic art, new media and digital art just to name a few - is a point of confusion in the art scene. What do you call your art?

It's hard to place my work in one category. Most of my images are manipulated or refined in Photoshop, so it's digital art although I consider myself more of a traditional artist who just happens to know something about Photoshop.

Have you sold any of your art work or been in any shows yet?

Yes, several oil paintings. I think I made my first commissioned oil painting when I was 14. I wouldn't call it art, when I was a teenager I used to make a lot of reproductions of oil paintings.. Not very interesting, but I learned how to work with oil paint. I've been in some local art shows before, but always with several other artists.. Now I'm concentrating more on my acrylic paintings, and I'm selling prints of my digital work.

What are the tools of your trade?

Color pencils, acrylics, watercolor, Photoshop.

What are you inspirations for creating?

Music (= very important) also books, poems, movies, art & art history and the silence of the night time. I tend to get my best ideas when I should be sleeping.

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Do you feel that Digital or Computer Art is some how looked down upon in the art world?

You will find art snobs in every category and every era.. I guess. Just like modern abstract artists used to look down upon traditional artists.. I've met some traditional artists who seemed to despise digital art. Perhaps people tend to fear what they don't understand. You know, the unfamiliar. Although generally- I think things have changed, and digital art is getting more and more accepted. Today a computer can be considered an artistic medium like any other medium in the hands of an artist.

Did your parents encourage you in your artistic endeavors?

Yes, both my parents and grandparents have always been very supportive of my artistic pursuits.

What is your artistic medium of choice? Why that medium?

Watercolors, and watercolor-pencils. I love the effects you can create with them and I try to keep the original watercolor textures in Photoshop.

If you could picture yourself 5, 10 years from now, where would you be and what would you be doing?

I can't say how my work will evolve, but i am sure it will. I also hope to publish my own book someday and who knows what more surprises there will be! I just know I'll still be painting and drawing.. this is not just a hobby, it's something I have to do.

Whose art work do you relate to most? Who inspires you?

  • Aya Kato
  • Yoshitaka Amano
  • Mark Ryden
  • Camille Rose Garcia
  • Michael Hussar
  • Ray Caesar
  • Natalie Shau

I love children book illustrators of the 19th century like Carl Larsson, Arthur Rackham, Kay Nielsen.. And the old masters like Klimt, James Ensor, Toulouse-Lautrec and Mucha.

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What would make you feel successful as an artist?

This might sound cliche but I feel that the audience plays a huge part in that. As an artist you're trying to express something in your work. If people appreciate my work, and enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it then I personally feel successful as an artist.

Do you see yourself in your artwork? How?

In a way, yes.... when I see my work, I see my own thoughts, fears, and emotions,..it certainly reflects a part of me.

Describe the ideal working atmosphere.

The ideal working atmosphere is during the day time in a room with nice lighting, my ipod and preferably in solitude. I can't concentrate when there's someone else in the room. The night time is the most interesting and inspiring time for me but not exactly ideal.

How do you start the creative process?

I can get really excited when I have an image, a composition or an idea in my mind. I have to sketch it immediately, but it usually takes me a few sketches before I have something. Sometimes it takes hours sometimes it takes days. Once the sketch or skeleton is ready, I have to decide how to colour it, I love to utilize different traditional media like watercolors, pencils, acrylics and pastels. Then I import a scan of the image into Photoshop and add certain elements. I may want to paint some things digitally like adjusting colour levels for example.

Do you experience artistic blocks? What do you think causes them and what do you do to solve them?

Yes, I actually had one awhile back and I learned not to fight it. Some people try to hard to get their creativity back. Just wait till your creativity comes back of its own. You just know that it will come back.. It could help to expose yourself to new books, paintings, music, movies, events, experiences and people.

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Which web sites do you visit regularly and which web sites do you think do the best to promote artists online?

Do you have a web site? Did you design your website yourself?

Yes, www.sarart.be it's nothing spectacular, but I needed some kind of portfolio.

How important is the internet to you and your art?

The internet is very important, in many ways. It's a great way for artists to share their art with others and to get inspired by others ..and of course it's an important medium to promote yourself as an artist.


Thank you Sara for sharing yourself and your artwork with the Unknown Artist Project.

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